


Be Authentically You

by astrangerenters



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Sex, Celebrity Crush, DISCO STAR, Fame, Getting Together, Humor, Interviews, M/M, Masturbation, Oral Sex, Porn Video, Sexual Content, YouTube
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-30
Updated: 2015-08-30
Packaged: 2018-04-18 02:45:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4689503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astrangerenters/pseuds/astrangerenters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The phenomenon that’s gone worldwide! The video everyone’s talking about! A bright fantasy world that at the end of the day just wants us to part with our money. That video is of course “Be Authentically You,” the four minute viral sensation from Disco Star Pachinko, the chain founded in Narashino, Chiba.</p><p>AU where Aiba is a viral video star (a “Disco Star”, you could say) and Jun is his devoted fanboy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday Jun!!

_non-no_ October issue  
**Rising Star: Aiba Masaki**  
By Sawajiri Erika  
Photographs by Kato Shigeaki; styled by Kamenashi Kazuya

The phenomenon that’s gone worldwide! The video everyone’s talking about! A bright fantasy world that at the end of the day just wants us to part with our money. That video is of course “Be Authentically You,” the four minute viral sensation from Disco Star Pachinko, the chain founded in Narashino, Chiba.

Eight months ago, 30-second spots started airing during late night programming in the Kanto region, but it was the full video posted to the pachinko chain’s official YouTube page that got Japan and eventually the world talking. A man in colorful clothing dancing to a strangely catchy tune, his too-tight purple bellbottoms aimed at bringing in Disco Star Pachinko’s gambling targets: middle-aged housewives. With his nutty dance moves and friendly smile, Aiba Masaki (32) has captured attention and gained fans from Tokyo to Timbuktu. He speaks with _non-no_ about the video that’s turned him into a global superstar and his humbler beginnings.

 **A** : Superstar seems a bit exaggerated though. It’s just a commercial…

 **non-no** : Could anyone really describe a video with 722 million YouTube views as “just a commercial” in this day and age?

 **A** : (laughs) We have more than Carly Rae-san now. (editor’s note: Carly Rae Jepsen’s ‘Call Me Maybe’)

 **non-no** : Are you aiming for Psy?

 **A** : Gangnam Style? (laughs) That was a real song!

—

“Ah, shit! Shit shit shit!” he hissed under his breath when he accidentally hit ‘maximize’ with his mouse instead of minimize. He hurriedly tried to hide it, but it was already too late.

“Don’t bother! I saw it, you weirdo,” Ninomiya Kazunari chuckled, perching his skinny ass on the edge of Jun’s desk as he frantically clicked.

Jun glared at him, his screen now returned to the perpetual tedium of Microsoft Excel. “Don’t you have work to do?”

“Don’t _you_?”

Jun turned his attentions back to his screen, ignoring Nino’s smug face by re-checking some totals he’d entered. “We’re entitled to a fifteen minute break.”

“And I’m using mine to get up and move around,” Nino said.

“Don’t…” Jun shut his eyes. “Please don’t tell anyone.”

“Oh J, everybody already knows,” Nino insisted. “J” being the nickname Nino had given him a year back. “J” being what Nino called him even though Jun was technically his senior on the QA team.

He cracked open one of his eyes, seeing Nino’s self-satisfied grin. “Really?”

“Matsumoto Jun in QA on the 27th floor, Disco Star-sama’s number one fan!”

He grabbed his stapler from the left side of his desk and thwapped Nino in the thigh with it. Not hard enough to bruise, but enough to mean business. “Would you keep your fucking voice down?”

Around them the 27th floor was full of their co-workers, typing and clicking away. It was mid-afternoon, and half the teams on their section of the floor were working on monthly status reports for the head of Supply Chain Management. To keep himself focused today, Jun had been taking short breaks. It was better for his brain if he spent a few minutes away from his spreadsheets every hour, a few minutes away from the pinging of his email. How he chose to fill that time was really none of Nino’s business.

“Whenever I come over here, you’re watching it.”

“That’s really not true,” Jun snitted, tightening his grip on the stapler. Nino sat two cubicle rows over. If he was any closer, Jun would never get any work done. Nino had earned plenty of complaints from his neighbors for listening to video game music so loud it could be heard through his earbuds.

“That video has more than 700 million views. How many of them come from you?”

“It’s not like that.”

Actually, it was like that.

Inoo in the CRM department, a notorious slack-off, had been the one to find it months back. It was a commercial for some pachinko chain Jun had never heard of, and there’d been a much longer version on YouTube. Inoo had sent it around to half the company, minus the supervisors who’d report his ass for spamming everyone. Just as it was taking off around Japan and eventually the world, Jun watched it on his phone during his lunch break. And his life had never been the same.

It really was just a silly video, some guy in a ridiculous outfit doing an even more ridiculous dance, but it had come at the right time for Jun. He’d still been recovering from a nasty breakup and like always, there was hardly anyone he could really tell about it - because the person he’d been with was a man. He couldn’t bitch in the break room about the guy who’d cheated on him and broken his heart. The company was too status quo for that. He’d found a strange kind of solace in “Be Authentically You,” the music video from Disco Star Pachinko.

He’d never been able to be his authentic self. He was gay in a country that mostly treated people like him as a joke, so he instead buried himself in work and never talked about his personal life. Inoo had sent the video, and Jun had used it as an escape at first. A really good-looking guy wiggling his hips for three minutes and fifty-four satisfying seconds. It was a fantasy that got him through the day, imagining himself in the embrace of the strange guy in bellbottom pants (who really was just there to get you to gamble at a pachinko parlor). 

Disco Star wouldn’t let him down. Disco Star didn’t care that Jun worked in a boring, thankless office job. Disco Star was loud and proud and brighter than a float at a Pride parade. Jun’s fantasy had slowly become an obsession.

He watched the video at home, beaming the contents of his phone to his large TV screen. He purchased the single. And as the Disco Star boom struck the world, the dancing guy was everywhere, that cheerful smile in every newspaper, magazine, TV show. He even did the dance on American television. Many people were surprised it had lasted this long, but Jun wasn’t. There was something special about Aiba Masaki, the guy from the video. With his good looks and easygoing manner, the guy was made for stardom.

Nino had caught Jun watching the video at work before, and despite Nino’s reputation as one of the department’s leading gossip mongers, nobody had made the connection. Maybe they thought Jun just liked the song, not that he had a crazy, bordering on unhealthy crush on the video’s star.

“You can keep watching,” Nino said with a dismissive hand wave. “Don’t let me interrupt.”

“I can wait.”

“Are you going to watch his new show? Doesn’t he have something coming up this fall?”

“Talk show I think?” Jun answered, trying to sound indifferent. In fact, Jun had been reading every interview he could get his hands on. He had even swung by NTV’s headquarters in Shiodome to swipe one of the promotional posters. It now had a treasured place among the magazines he’d purchased over the past few months. His Disco Star “shrine” was still pretty small, on account of how creepy he knew it made him look. And of course, he’d eaten at the Chinese restaurant in Chiba owned by Aiba-san’s parents, where he’d worked until becoming famous.

Nino patted him on the shoulder. “Look, J, let me do something nice for you.”

Jun raised an eyebrow in suspicion. Nino tended to say things like that and follow them up with “take me out to dinner and enjoy an evening in my company.” He’d fallen for it twice now, knowing it was how cheapskate Ninomiya managed to eat half of the week. “I don’t want to owe you any favors.”

Nino smiled. “I’m serious this time.” He leaned forward, his breath smelling a little too heavily like espresso from the fancy coffee machine their boss kept in her office. The sly little freeloading weasel. “What if I knew a way for you to meet Disco Star-sama?”

Jun’s heart started pounding, but he hoped he was keeping a neutral expression. Jun had always been told his face could be “too much” since he had prominent brows, big eyes, and a bit of an overbite. Controlling his face was difficult indeed. “I don’t need to meet the guy,” he lied. 

He’d gone to a handshake event, quietly, a few months ago at some outlet mall. Between the swarms of housewives and flamboyant, out and proud gay men in attendance, Jun hadn’t felt comfortable queueing with either group. He’d missed his chance, drowning his sorrows with some retail therapy at BEAMS, snatching up five hats, four pairs of jeans, and eight shirts before his logical side, the credit card bill paying side, made him stop.

“Trust me,” Nino said in a voice that wasn’t very trustworthy at all. “Trust me, I’m going to make this happen for you.”

—

“Be Authentically You” was released on iTunes within a month of the video going viral in Europe and the United States. With sales of the song topping 10 million paid downloads and counting, you’d be hard pressed to call it anything but a real song. The brainchild of Disco Star Pachinko’s young CEO Kazama Shunsuke, “Be Authentically You” started out mostly as a joke. Kazama enlisted the help of his high school friend, a non-celebrity, to get the ball rolling.

 **A** : Kazama calls me up and he tells me that he’s got some expansion strategy. They’re taking the chain out of Chiba and making a push for Tokyo. He says as part of the promotion they’re doing something called branded entertainment, like more than a commercial, but an online video. A music video for advertising purposes. I didn’t know much about that. I thought it was going to be like a radio jingle at first!

 **non-no** : A radio jingle!

 **A** : He was in the band at school, and I was just in basketball club so you’d think he’d call up someone with talent. But anyhow, he asked me to do it. So he comes to me with the song and we worked together on the choreography. Neither of us can dance, that’s why it’s so bizarre. Believe me, there was no professional choreographer in the studio. But his wife is actually the one who came up with the bellbottoms.

 **non-no** : And the rest was history?

 **A** : I guess so! I mean, we filmed it over a weekend at this studio space in Shibuya. I danced my tail off and then reported to work the next morning sore all over!

—

A few evenings later, Jun found himself having an early dinner with Ninomiya and his surprisingly famous friend. Though Nino was just another cog in Japan’s salaryman machine, he’d had the same childhood piano teacher as Sakurai Sho, now a popular newscaster at NTV. The three of them were crammed onto stools at the rear of some hole in the wall soba joint a few blocks south of NTV Tower, since Sakurai-san had to get back in time for the evening news broadcast. 

Though he came across as a polished, attractive professional on the air, Sakurai Sho was slurping noodles until his cheeks were full, talking around his food. Jun was reminded of a hamster in that moment, although he had to admit that the food was really good and he could understand Sakurai’s enthusiasm.

“Sho-chan, when’s the interview again?” Nino prodded his friend with the usual inappropriate Nino-timing, Sakurai in the middle of slurping another batch of noodles into his mouth.

Sakurai dabbed at his mouth with a napkin. “Well, it’s going to be pre-recorded on Friday evening because that’s how it worked out for Aiba-san’s schedule. It’ll air on Monday’s broadcast.”

Sakurai Sho was interviewing Aiba Masaki as yet another promotion for Web Wonders! The Online Stars Who Will Change the World, the new NTV program he was appearing on. Rumor had it that the “Leave Britney Spears alone!” guy was going to be a special guest in the first episode, but Sakurai couldn’t confirm or deny anything. He worked for the network, certainly, but he didn’t have those kinds of details about programs.

“Don’t you have some good news for J?” Nino continued his prodding.

Sakurai’s face was a little uneasy when he turned to Jun. “Nino said you really wanted to meet him?”

Jun paled, and he quickly waved his hand in denial. “No! No, what did he tell you?”

Sakurai grinned. “He said you’re the biggest Disco Star fan in the world.”

Jun looked past Sakurai to scowl at Nino, who was cowering in the corner as though Jun had another stapler on him and was going to cave his head in with it. “You…” He turned back to Sakurai, remembering that this guy was Kind of a Big Deal in the entertainment world himself. “I’m sorry, Sakurai-san. As usual, Ninomiya-san has exaggerated.”

“He does do that sometimes,” Sakurai agreed, chuckling. He ruffled Nino’s hair as though he was a ten year old, not a grown man who was probably going to exclaim any moment in an unconvincing voice that he’d “forgotten” his wallet at home that day and could Sakurai please pick up his portion of the dinner bill.

Nino offered Jun a wink before patting Sakurai on the arm. “But really, he does love that guy.”

Jun slurped down some noodles in a panic. “I’m just a fan, alright?” he complained, chewing and feeling no more graceful than Sakurai. “I don’t know why he’s convinced you of something beyond that…”

“Well, technically, I’m not authorized to let strangers onto a closed interview set. I’d have to run it past Aiba-san’s people first. I mean, you’d just watch me interview him and maybe get a ‘hi’ and a handshake,” Sakurai said, his voice seemingly free of judgment.

He was growing warm and uncomfortable at the thought of being so close to Aiba Masaki. He’d look so creepy, some guy standing in the back watching the interview. Everyone else - directors, camera operators, staff - belonged there, but what the hell would he do?

“I don’t want to cause you any inconvenience, Sakurai-san.”

“It wouldn’t be a big deal,” the man assured him, having a sip of water. “Nino’s met about six or seven pro baseball players by exploiting our friendship before. At least you have the decency to be apologetic about it.”

Nino just beamed from ear to ear. How did he manage to manipulate people so skillfully?

“Well then,” Jun said, exhaling and feeling like he might explode. “If it’s not too much trouble, it would be great if I could at least say hello. To wish him well with his new program. As a fan. Just as a fan, you know? I’m not going to be all ‘give me your autograph,’ I’ll be totally respectful…”

“He knows what you mean, J,” Nino teased, dumping his leftover noodles onto Sakurai’s plate. “And it’s not like you’re meeting the Dalai Lama. It’s a guy from a YouTube video.”

Sakurai’s smile was gentler than Jun anticipated in that moment. “I’ll let you know as soon as I can, alright? You’ll just have to go to the front desk at NTV. I’ll have them prepare a visitor badge for you. It’ll be fine. Stress free.”

He and Sakurai exchanged email addresses. That in itself ought to be amazing, Jun’s brain reminded him. He was now email friends with a guy from the news. But he couldn’t even think about it. Because in mere days - DAYS!!! - he was going to meet Aiba Masaki, the man who’d rescued him from the darkest depths of post-breakup depression.

What the hell was he going to wear?!

—

A dance that would prove a challenge for even a seasoned performer, the “Be Authentically You” dance sees Aiba-san making bedroom eyes at the camera, flashing his abdomen, thrusting his hips repeatedly, and running frantically through a green-screened Middle Eastern marketplace with his hands behind his head and elbows out. 

**A** : Even Jimmy Fallon has asked about this. (editor’s note: Jimmy Fallon, host of _The Tonight Show_ in the United States) Kazama knew a guy who could do the green screen on the cheap. I mean, I was there in that studio running on a treadmill. In purple bellbottoms and that pink fringe shirt, right? I hadn’t the slightest idea what I was supposed to be doing.

Though the song lyrics, dancing, costuming, and backdrop have little cohesiveness, most viewers have remarked that those disconnects and the astonishing budget are what make the video so charming. “There’s nothing that disco about it, huh!” Kazama Shunsuke has said repeatedly, but the views and downloads keep pouring in. It’s completely turned life upside down for Kazama. Disco Star Pachinko has opened twenty new locations in the last six months. And then life has gotten even crazier for his high school chum, who, prior to appearing in the music video, worked as a chef in his parents’ Chiba City restaurant.

 **A** : All of a sudden I’ve got reporters showing up at the restaurant. I’ve got other reporters calling my cell phone. How do they even get your number? I thought it would just be some one and done thing, a favor for my friend to help his business. By the end of the first month I had an agent. I had like, a media trainer.

—

He’d worked a half-day, fleeing the office sometime after 2:00 to hurry home. Sakurai Sho, who ought to have been super busy with his job, had bent over backwards to get things arranged for Jun the past few days. Aiba-san’s people had agreed to Sakurai having a guest attend the interview. Apparently Sakurai was respected enough in the industry that they assumed a guest he personally vouched for wouldn’t be a crackpot.

So it was a good thing that Sakurai Sho had no idea Jun had spent the equivalent of a month’s rent to obtain a bootleg copy of Disco Bake Shop, the gay porn video that starred an Aiba Masaki lookalike and a lookalike of the weird artist guy from the Mr. Bake commercials. He’d bought it online at 3:00 AM several weekends ago, freaking out about a pending performance review at work and trying to ease his anxiety by losing himself in filthy, filthy pornography. He’d received both high praise and a raise at his review, but kept the video anyhow. Despite the haircut, the lookalike really couldn’t compare to the original, but usually by the time Jun had his dick out, it didn’t much matter anymore. He’d masturbated to the idea of Disco Star sex for weeks now, and it really did help to clear his head.

Which was why he’d closed all the blinds in his apartment in the middle of the afternoon to watch his favorite scenes from Disco Bake Shop once more. If he got off now, he figured he’d be calmer, less hyped up when he actually met Aiba-san later that evening at NTV. He had his outfit laid out on his bed, based on Sakurai’s suggestion that he dress casually — a blazer, a violet tee, and his nicest jeans. The violet, he told himself, was an homage to the Disco Star’s infamous purple bellbottoms. It was probably a touch creepy, but he doubted it would be noticed in his five second handshake before Aiba departed.

Satisfied with his sartorial choices, he stretched out naked on his sofa and got down to it. The video wasn’t the sexiest thing in his collection. The Disco Star lookalike spent half the video thrusting his hips and going “Oh yeah, oh yeah!” which wasn’t something Aiba-san said in the original. And the dialogue was super pathetic, mostly variations on Disco Star telling Mr. Bake to get ready for something “thick and meaty” to enter his “oven.” He fast-forwarded, rolling his eyes as he watched the Mr. Bake lookalike guy’s eyes bulge as he took it up the ass yet again on the strange green-screened Arabian palace set.

Finally, in a bit of genius camera work, things shifted to a “Mr. Bake’s POV” shot, where the camera merely looked up to the towering Disco Star lookalike. Erection in hand, the guy spent a few minutes jacking off with his head mostly tilted back. It was probably the least absurd thing about the video and the part that Jun liked best, since you couldn’t see the guy’s face any longer, just his throat, the knock-off costume, and his throbbing, glistening cock. Jun put it on mute to avoid all of the stupid “here comes another load, Mr. Bake!” dialogue and managed to come in only a few minutes.

Coming back down from that high, he smiled in satisfaction. Cleaning up and turning off his DVD player, he showered and dressed, feeling loosened up and like he could even attend dinner at Buckingham Palace without a care. Even Nino’s annoying text messages, all variations on “Don’t shit your pants in front of Disco Star!”, didn’t bother him now. He strolled into NTV an hour before the interview start time, and true to his word, Sakurai Sho had arranged for a guest badge for him. He was escorted up to a small studio, where Sakurai was already waiting and shook his hand.

“Nervous?” Sakurai asked, offering another of his friendly smiles.

“I think I’ll be okay,” he said as Sakurai led him to a decent spread on a craft services table. Jun was able to munch on some free food while Sakurai prepared his questions. He put his back to the studio, listening calmly as staff arranged the lighting and Sakurai made small talk with producers. Jun was reaching for another of the mini-quiches when his hand almost collided with someone else’s. Looking over to apologize, he discovered that he was now standing next to Aiba Masaki, who had apparently entered the studio without fanfare.

He was in a gray suit with an adorably nerdy green bow tie, his dyed brown hair already styled and his face caked a bit in makeup for the cameras.

“Oh, did you want that one?” Aiba asked, that slightly scratchy voice Jun would know anywhere emerging from his perfect mouth.

“I…you can…you can have it…”

Aiba-san smiled at him, and all of Jun’s careful, deliberate preparations went out the window. Because he’d prepared for Aiba to enter, be seated, be interviewed, and then just say “What’s up!” to him as he left. Jun hadn’t anticipated a fight over a mini-quiche at the craft services table.

“No, it’s yours,” Aiba said agreeably, reaching instead for one of the brownies at the other end of the table.

“Aiba-san, Aiba-san, please, not when you’re in wardrobe!” 

Aiba turned, fingers hovering in the air over the desserts. Jun watched a soft little frown cross his face. Aiba was Jun’s height and while he was slimmer than Jun was, he wasn’t as thin as he looked in the video. He looked so much better in person, cakey makeup be damned. God, he was standing two feet away! The guy he’d just masturbated to that afternoon. Sort of. Oh, this was bad. This was very bad. This was catastrophic. This was…

“Here, do me a favor, would you?” Aiba asked, grabbing Jun by the arm and tugging him close. “If you hold the napkin here while I eat, I won’t get crumbs on the suit.”

“Oi, don’t use the staff as your servants,” came the voice from earlier. It was a petite woman who looked about ready to throttle Aiba. She had on a visitor badge similar to Jun’s. 

“Sorry, Staff-san,” Aiba said meekly while the woman rolled her eyes.

The situation was quickly defused when Sakurai Sho approached with his hand out. “Aiba-san, they didn’t tell us you were already here. Sorry about that.”

Aiba dragged his attention away from the brownies (and took his hand off of Jun’s arm) to shake Sakurai’s hand. “I didn’t know there was going to be dessert. Sakurai-san, nice to meet you. I’m Aiba Masaki.”

“Kanjiya Shihori, Aiba-san’s manager,” the woman said next, smoothing a hand over Aiba’s bow tie. “We were just apologizing to the member of your staff here.”

Jun looked to Sakurai in a panic, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans so nobody could see them shaking. Sakurai offered another polite newscaster smile. “Ah, if I could make the introductions. This is Matsumoto Jun-san, and he’s not actually part of our NTV staff. He’s the person I called about, Kanjiya-san. My friend.”

Wow, Sakurai was smooth. His friend, huh? 

“He’s looking forward to your new program, Aiba-san, so he was eager to meet you.”

Oh thank God, Jun thought, happy that Sakurai hadn’t introduced him as a “fan.” A word that would send any sane celebrity fleeing. Aiba looked instantly apologetic, patting Jun on the shoulder. If the guy kept touching him, Jun was going to faint.

“I’m sorry again, about the quiche. And trying to make you hold my napkin. I’m not…I’m not a beast or anything. Oh man, you’re not going to put that online, are you? That I wanted you to hold my napkin?”

Kanjiya-san sighed heavily. “Would you leave the poor man alone? He came all the way here to see you!”

Jun felt the color draining from his face, and he shook his head. “Oh no no, it’s not…it’s not anything that…I mean…”

Sakurai finally intervened. “Why don’t we all chat a little more after the interview? We still need to do a lighting check for Aiba-san, and I’m sure you’d like to get moving, yes?”

“Great, great!” Aiba said. He turned to Jun with another look that threatened to put him over the edge. “After, then!”

Jun was left alone once again as Aiba and his manager followed Sakurai to the set. Soon enough, Aiba was seated in a chair across from Sakurai, running through the questions. Jun ate at least eight of the brownies on the table, just to give his hands and mouth something to do as filming began and Aiba Masaki turned on the charm. 

Their first meeting had lasted far longer than the five seconds Sakurai had promised. Aiba didn’t have the aura that screamed “star,” because if he had, then surely Jun would have noticed him approaching the table before the disastrous quiche incident, as he’d probably refer to it for the next twenty years, regretting the way he’d behaved, stuttering and looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

Aiba Masaki was just as genuine in his interview with Sakurai as he had been in every other interview Jun had read or watched. Kind, a bit prone to stumbling over his words, and quick to downplay the impact he’d had on the world. Everything came back to his friend, the guy who owned the pachinko chain. Everything came back to being happy that his friend’s business was prospering. 

When the director called for a cut, Aiba nearly exploded out of his seat, red in the face. He took Sakurai by the hand and started pumping it up and down. “Thank you. Oh my God, Sakurai-san, thank you!”

“For what?” Sakurai asked, chuckling.

“You didn’t ask the Mrs. question.”

“The Mrs. question?”

While staff started bustling about, making noise that made it harder for Jun to hear, he still got the gist of the talk. In every interview, without fail, Aiba Masaki had been asked if there was a “Mrs.” Disco Star, and every time he had said no, looking embarrassed. The media seemed to interpret this as shyness, wanting to protect his relationship. After all, his parents’ business had skyrocketed with his success, but now they were a media and fan target. There were stories of people going to the restaurant in hopes of seeing him and then not paying for their meals when he obviously didn’t appear. With Aiba’s sudden superstardom, it was obvious that any girlfriend he had would be the target of Internet fans. Jun figured that his ownership of a bootleg porn DVD wasn’t that harmful, comparatively, in the long run.

“We’ve got a radio interview across town in two hours,” Kanjiya was telling Aiba, not looking up from her phone. “We should probably get a move on.”

Jun, still back in the corner and trying to conceal the now empty brownie plate behind him, gulped when Aiba broke away from his manager and Sakurai and came jogging over. “Hey, I’m sorry. What was your name again?”

“Matsumoto,” Jun stuttered out. “Matsumoto Jun.”

Aiba held out his hand. “It was really great to meet you, Matsumoto-san.”

Jun panicked again, knowing he probably had chocolate all over his right hand. But then if he offered Aiba his left hand it would be really awkward. And if he moved at all then Aiba would discover that Jun had eaten all the fucking brownies and…

“How about a picture?” came the voice of Sakurai Sho.

Aiba smoothly moved away from Jun’s handshake rejection, lifting his outstretched hand into the air and shaking his fist in excitement. “Sure! Sure, how about it?”

“O-okay…if it’s not going to make you late…late for your interview and…”

Aiba wiggled his fingers at his manager. “Hey, take the picture, would ya?”

Then Aiba was in his space, his body hot like a space heater as he stood next to Jun at the craft service table, wrapping an arm around his waist, his hand somehow coming to rest under his blazer, just where Jun’s t-shirt overlapped with his belt. Jun couldn’t move, only managing to smile when he caught Sakurai Sho’s eye, saw the newscaster pointing at his mouth as a hint that Jun should look happy about this. Aiba, oblivious, held out a peace sign and before Jun could memorize the feeling of Aiba Masaki’s hand on his body, it was over with the flash of Manager Kanjiya’s phone.

“I can send this to Sakurai-san,” Kanjiya said, “and he can send it to you. Be wise about where you share it.”

“I…I wouldn’t do anything to cause Aiba-san trouble.”

“See?” Aiba said, already tugging on his bow tie and slithering out of his suit jacket. “See, Jun is a good guy!”

Jun, reaching for the table just to have something to hold on to, managed to hit the edge of the empty brownie plate with the palm of his hand. It made a loud THUNK against the table, but thankfully didn’t fall off and shatter. But in turning to find his hand coated in brownie crumbs, Jun missed Aiba Masaki waving goodbye to him as he hurried off to wardrobe.

Sakurai Sho was beside him then, laughing quietly. “Are you okay? Still starstruck?”

“He called me Jun,” he mumbled.

“He certainly did.”

They were both silent for a few moments as Sakurai’s crew packed up around them. Jun finally took a deep breath, knowing he was still in some sort of shock.

“Sakurai-san, I ate all the brownies.”

Sakurai, who up until then had been a consummate professional, doubled over in laughter.

—

 **non-no** : Did you have any other experience in the entertainment world before this?

 **A** : (laughs) You mean the catalog, right?

By the time “Be Authentically You” went viral, Internet fans (and anti-fans) had their attentions on Aiba Masaki, the Chiba chef. They wanted to know more about him. Fortunately for Aiba-san and for Disco Star Pachinko, what was unearthed wasn’t scandalous but tame. In his early 20’s, Aiba-san modeled for a Chiba City department store’s winter catalog. Photos of the “Disco Star Guy” flooded the web, not in his signature purple bellbottoms, but in plush sweaters and down jackets from 2004.

 **A** : They dug those up. That was another favor I’d done. Not for Kazama, but for one of my seniors. His parents owned the store. I wasn’t the only one they called up. 

**non-no** : But you’re the only one of those catalog models who’s hit it big. Haven’t their sales have gone up now?

 **A** : I think they do very good business without me…

Fame has yet to go to Aiba Masaki’s head. Interviews with his friends have revealed a rather shy, humble person who never sought out celebrity. But the type of person who’d also go the distance for a friend, whether it’s modeling clothes for a local business or dancing in a crazy get-up for a pachinko parlor. Much of Aiba Masaki’s charm lies in his refreshing personality, his lack of pretentiousness. Though it can be assumed that like Psy and Gangnam Style, Aiba-san’s fans outside of Japan mostly treat him as a humorous character, perhaps even a jokey caricature, his home country accepts both facets of Aiba Masaki: the viral sensation and TV personality as well as the gentle, soothing presence behind the song and dance man.

 **A** : They approached me (editor’s note: TV networks) with the cooking show concept first. My agent said turn it down. It had already become impossible for me to keep working at my actual job. I was a complete inconvenience in the kitchen, a problem for my parents. But we said no to the cooking show because honestly, I’m just a line cook. We have our set menu at the restaurant and I can cook all those things, but who would watch a TV program about that?

 **non-no** : Some celebrity chefs have seen a great deal of success.

 **A** : I know. But that’s not my thing. I’d probably burn myself on camera or put in the wrong ingredients. It’s nervewracking with a camera on you.

—

“Holy fucking shit!” Ninomiya Kazunari declared in the 27th floor break room. “Would you look at that?”

Jun snatched his phone back, shoving it in his back pocket. Nino would have to grab his ass if he wanted to have another look. Though he knew Nino would be willing to stoop to such a tactic, he offered his most intimidating sneer to keep him away.

“I owe Sho-san big time,” Jun admitted, referring to the picture he now had in his possession of himself and Aiba Masaki, looking like close friends, that Sakurai had sent to him just that morning. “What do you think I should do? Buy him dinner? Can I buy dinner for a guy on the news?”

“If you provide food, Sho-chan will appear. His producer has him on a diet because the cameras already add weight to his face, but he usually tells them to fuck off.” Nino perched on the break room countertop, tapping his fingers. “Then again, Sho-chan gets off on using his super news guy power to help less fortunates like you and me. You probably don’t have to do anything for him.”

Jun settled for sending a thank you card Sakurai’s way, and he spent the next two weeks practically floating around the office. He looked much better in the photo than he’d felt at the time, and with each new viewing he felt a fresh wave of warmth and good feelings wash over him. Aiba Masaki, the Disco Star, had touched him. Aiba Masaki, the Disco Star, had spoken to him. And for goodness sake, Aiba Masaki, the Disco Star, had called him Jun.

Annoying co-workers who stole his clearly marked yogurt from the fridge? Didn’t matter, Jun had his picture. Printer out of toner when he had an important report to print out? Didn’t matter, Jun had his picture. New upstairs neighbor in his apartment building who listened to heavy metal? Didn’t matter, Jun had his picture.

So when a new email came through from Sakurai Sho on a Tuesday morning at the office, Jun didn’t even think there was anything odd or strange about it. Maybe he was just now getting Jun’s thank you card and was going to thank him for thanking him. But he really didn’t expect the message that appeared when he clicked, although the subject line, VIP!!!!!!, should have set off alarms in Jun’s head.

 

_Matsumoto-san,_

_I’m so glad that you were able to meet Aiba-san. Let me know if you and Nino are in the mood for soba, it would be great to meet up again soon._

_Anyhow I’m actually writing with a bit of an odd request, so please pardon me if the message I’m relaying isn’t conveyed well. This morning I received a voicemail from Aiba Masaki. He said he’s going golfing at the Musashigaoka Golf Course in Saitama Thursday morning. We’d spoken about golf before his interview, just to warm up for filming. I’m unfortunately on assignment and will not be able to make it Thursday, but Aiba-san said if I couldn’t go that I should ask you. He seemed rather sincere, although it’s probably because he doesn’t know you’re a salaryman with a normal work schedule._

_But before declining on your behalf, I thought it would be best to notify you of his invitation. Please let me know how you’d like me to respond._

 

Jun read the email at least eight more times because he still couldn’t quite believe it. The Sakurai Sho Jun had met wouldn’t lie about something like this, even if he was childhood friends with a person like Nino. And the email address seemed legitimate. He doubted that Nino would stoop so low as to hack a friend’s work email to tease Jun about his Disco Star fanboying. And so, Aiba-san’s invitation was apparently for real. But why on earth would he invite Jun?

It was not his place to question why. This was clearly a sign. A sign that someone was looking out for Matsumoto Jun. No longer did Jun have to resign himself to sneaking listens of “Be Authentically You” on his phone on the train every morning. No longer did Jun have to spend long hours on Google looking for an Aiba Masaki article he hadn’t already read. No longer did he have to lay in bed in the dark, smiling at the picture on his phone that he’d uploaded to the cloud in multiple places so he’d never ever lose it.

 _Sakurai-san_ , Jun wrote, fingers flying over the keyboard even though he was considered by many to be a slow, methodical typist.

 

_Thanks again for all your assistance. It was such a privilege to be welcomed to NTV._

_I have a day off on Thursday, so please let Aiba-san know I’m happy to meet him for a round of golf. If it’s easier to forward his details on to me, or his manager’s details, please do so. I appreciate it, and don’t want to force you into a middleman role since you’re so busy._

_Sincerely,  
Matsumoto Jun_

 

As soon as he clicked ‘Send’ he knew it was a really, really, really bad decision he’d made. First off, he did not actually have the day off on Thursday. He was perfectly healthy, so he didn’t want to waste a sick day. A vacation day it had to be. He did a rather ungraceful speed walk from his cubicle to his boss’ office, informing her that there’d been a cancellation at his dental office and they’d rescheduled him for Thursday morning. Would it be too much trouble if…?

“Go ahead, go ahead,” she said. Jun knew his boss had just gone through a long and painful string of fillings and three root canals, so the word ‘dentist’ still sent shivers down her spine. “You’ll be in on Friday?”

“Of course.”

“Go, go.”

He was definitely meeting Aiba Masaki on Thursday morning now, because when he got back to his desk Sakurai Sho had already forwarded on an email address and phone number for the Disco Star himself and Jun then fired off an email within forty-five seconds of sitting down. Five minutes later, he received an email from Aiba that simply said _“Great! Tee off time is 8:00 AM! See you!”_

Even with the day off, he still knew it was a really, really, really bad decision he’d made. He didn’t have a car, but somehow had to get out to a random golf course in Saitama. He doubted he’d be able to keep it under wraps, because Sakurai was probably confused now and would ask Nino what was going on. And Nino would have a field day with this.

And then there was the most pressing worry of all: the fact that aside from using a putter at a mini golf course once or twice as a kid, Matsumoto Jun had never swung a golf club in his life.

—

 **non-no** : What other kinds of offers have you received?

 **A** : You name it! A lot of it’s modeling, you know. Serious modeling, for major brands, but then there are these, like, Halloween stores that have called up. They say it’ll be a ‘disco’ Halloween this year, all because of me. And then well, everybody knows about the AV by now. (laughs)

While “Be Authentically You” was created, in essence, to lure in housewives to the growing pachinko chain, the video itself features a group of young men who dance behind Aiba-san. Almost all of these performers are Disco Star Pachinko employees, but the small army of attractive young men combined with the tightly-trousered main personality has earned the video considerable fans in the gay community as well. 

Shinjuku Ni-chome, always a lively area to begin with, has seen a “Disco Star Boom” of late, with a surge of bellbottoms and flashy clothes making appearances alongside the usual drag queens. The boom prompted one gay AV production company to approach Aiba-san with an offer.

 **A** : They already had a plot picked out, well, not that those videos have plots. I mean to say that they wanted me to be there and to have sex with other viral stars. The one they really had their fingers crossed for was Mr. Bake, if you can believe it! We don’t even make the same product! Pachinko and Mr. Bake? What were they thinking?

Last year, former Johnny’s idol Ohno Satoshi (34), known better now as an artist and painter, popped up in a series of humorous commercials for Mr. Bake chocolates. Though his viral success was fairly limited outside of Japan, he was another fan favorite in the gay community.

—

The taxi dropped him off in front of the clubhouse at 7:37 AM, and Jun was surprised he’d managed to get all the way here without vomiting in panic. The night before, after work, he’d gone to a sports store not far from the office, taking a long hard look at a pair of plaid golf slacks before deciding that he simply couldn’t fake it. 

He’d decided to come clean to Aiba Masaki in person. The guy was probably already here, with his golf bag and those golf shoes with the pointy bits on them. He figured it was best to confess his lack of golfing ability face to face rather than lying to him over email about coming down with the bubonic plague, which was the idea he’d had in the sports store.

In khaki slacks and a polo shirt he’d somehow had in his closet at home, Jun nervously entered the clubhouse. Aiba had sent him a quick email the night before saying he’d be in the pro shop waiting for him. He turned the corner only to find the small pro shop was mobbed with middle-aged men cheering. “Disco Star!” the men were chanting. “Disco Star!”

At the center of this mob of businessmen, who were probably here to kiss the asses of their clients all morning on the course, stood Aiba Masaki. He looked nervous, a bit red in the face as the men kept a tight circle around him, begging for him to autograph their golf bags, their scorecards, their golf ball. Someone had given him a marker already and some jolly guy was encouraging him to sign something for his daughter, who was a student at Waseda.

“She’s single too, Disco Star-san,” the man was saying, and the other men took this as a challenge, offering up their own daughters as a potential match.

Aiba, overwhelmed, just kept signing things without speaking much. Jun hung back for a good twenty-five minutes while Aiba diligently autographed, shook hands, and took selfies with the enthusiastic group of men. When the last of them had walked away, mumbling to his friend about going online to auction the autograph, Jun watched Aiba slump back against one of the shop displays, shutting his eyes and exhaling. The cost of fame was really quite high. And yet he hadn’t said no to any of them. He’d been polite to each and every one of them, where Jun would have gotten tired after the first few omiai offers.

But then Aiba looked up and all of the sadness that had colored his features vanished in a moment. “Hey Jun!” He waved Jun over, and there was definitely no escape now. Feeling way out of place in the luxurious golf clubhouse, Jun approached with measured steps. Despite his fame, Aiba didn’t really have a fancy golf outfit either, just a Chiba Lotte Marines baseball cap and a white polo shirt tucked in to a pair of knee-length shorts.

“Good morning. I didn’t want to interrupt while you were meeting with your fans,” Jun said, even though he himself was just a fan who’d hit the jackpot.

Aiba laughed. “I don’t think most of those guys were fans. I think a few knew me and then the others just wanted to have a story to tell on the course today.” Now that Jun had come close, Aiba’s posture slumped again. He didn’t feel like he had to act “famous” in front of Jun. “Ahhh, my hand’s going to cramp. One of those guys had me sign his driver, can you believe that?”

“I saw.”

“Ahhh, I love this course. I really didn’t think anyone would approach me here, though.”

“I’m sorry.”

Aiba patted his shoulder, as though he and Jun were close friends already. “Not your fault.” Aiba checked his watch. “We’ve totally missed the tee-off.”

“Actually, Aiba-san…” Jun interrupted, feeling rotten. After the mob scene, it was clear Aiba just wanted to relax and get out on the course. “There’s something I should tell you.”

“You don’t have clubs, right? That’s okay, you can borrow some or you can use mine, I don’t mind. It’s a bit warm today, so I figured we’d get a cart instead of walking. They’ve got caddies though, so…”

“Aiba-san, I’m so sorry,” Jun said, lowering his head in apology. “I can’t do this. I’ve never golfed before.”

“At all?”

“I don’t suppose a putt-putt course counts.”

Aiba’s voice was still friendly. “Not quite, no.” 

He looked up, seeing Aiba was smiling at him. “I’m really sorry. I just…I don’t know why you invited me, in the event that Sakurai-san couldn’t come. You don’t even know me. But I said yes because…well, I guess I was selfish.”

“Jun-kun,” Aiba said, leaning closer so his voice wouldn’t carry. “Don’t worry about it. Just…would you like to talk? We don’t have to go out there.”

He shut his eyes. “I’ve ruined your day with my selfishness.”

“Cheer up, would you? I can golf any time!” Aiba wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “Come on, let’s have some breakfast instead. You’ve done that before, at least? Eaten breakfast?”

“Yeah,” he admitted, completely red in the face. “But…you know I’m just a fan, right? Why would you want to spend time with me?”

He felt Aiba’s hand squeeze his shoulder. “You can say you’re selfish for coming here, but you didn’t do it so you could brag about it or sell your story to a tabloid. I can just tell. I could tell from the moment you met me at NTV and didn’t immediately start demanding things from me. You even wanted me to have that mini-quiche. There aren’t a lot of people like you, okay? So stop worrying. Now let’s eat!”

—

 **A** : So they tell me that Disco Star and Mr. Bake will go at it. And you know, I’ve met Ohno-san, and he’s a great guy. He’s actually been a great mentor to me. Coping with all the attention, you know? He’s really, really great. Neither of us could really understand why anyone would want to see us have sex with each other though.

 **non-no** : You and Ohno-san discussed the project?

 **A** : I mean, it’s flattering in a way, I suppose? But yeah, we met up for drinks and had a good laugh about it. We turned it down together. A united front, right? 

**non-no** : That didn’t stop the company though, did it?

 **A** : No! They were really set on it, weren’t they?

In late May of this year, the AV production company, Hole in One Studios, released “Disco Bake Shop” starring a pair of Aiba and Ohno lookalikes who meet overseas in the vaguely Middle Eastern marketplace featured in the “Be Authentically You” video. It includes an astonishing 86 minutes of sex acts alone. It is currently sold out, with bootleg copies going for thousands of yen on Yahoo Auctions and eBay.

—

An hour later, Jun was totally full and much happier than he’d been upon first entering the clubhouse. The restaurant specialized in Western breakfast, not Jun’s typical choices, but he was stuffed full of toast and eggs and bacon, so he couldn’t exactly complain. It wasn’t anything a run at the gym couldn’t fix.

And then there’d been Aiba-san, his breakfast companion. Though he’d been fairly shy around his other fans, he opened up so easily with Jun at the table. He talked like he apparently hadn’t allowed himself to in months, now that fame had hit and he had to be so careful about what he said, about what might be reported about him. So he complained to Jun about having to disguise himself when he went out, even to the convenience store on the corner. He complained about people trying to get his phone number by looking up his second and third cousins, people he hadn’t spoken with in years.

“And when I go to events and things, everyone treats me like I’m this super important person. They ask if I need mineral water or how many types of ramen I want to have available in the green room or if there’s a particular type of mousse they should use on my hair. It’s just…” Aiba set his fork down and shook his head, smiling ruefully. “I’m grateful, you know? I’m grateful for everyone’s concern, but I kind of miss being nobody special.”

Jun poured himself another cup of coffee from the pot on the table. Despite his earlier worries, sitting with Aiba Masaki was just so easy. Speaking to him, the person he’d been pretty much crazy about for months, was simple because Aiba made him feel so comfortable. He didn’t put on airs. He didn’t act like he was better than Jun. And he’d already thanked Jun multiple times for being a fan, for supporting him, as though Jun was the great person and he wasn’t. 

“If you don’t mind me asking, then why have you agreed to be on a variety show? Permanently, I mean? Couldn’t you just go back to your old job?”

Aiba nodded. “I thought about that, but I just caused my parents so much trouble. I loved cooking, I still love it, but I can’t be a burden on them. I don’t need people trying to cut in line to see if I’m working in the kitchen that day. So since I had to give that up, I figured I could start saving up for when I’m not famous anymore. TV pays pretty well, so once the Disco Star thing calms down I’ll have some money and can live comfortably while I figure out who I am and what my future will be.”

“You seem like you already know who you are,” Jun admitted. He was discovering there was way more to the person he idolized than a silly music video or magazine interview could tell him. He was a human being, with hopes and fears.

“I do, I do. It’s just been a crazy year. It’s easy to get lost, lose sight of what’s important when suddenly everyone’s dissecting everything you say,” Aiba said, adding quite a bit of sugar to his coffee. “I’ve barely let you talk, you know.”

“That’s okay. You seem like you needed to get some things off your chest.”

“I really did,” Aiba replied, “but that’s still no excuse. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

“Shall we meet up again then?” Jun was surprised to see the hopeful look in Aiba’s gentle brown eyes. “To make things fair?”

“Any…any time,” Jun managed to say.

“My schedule’s kind of weird, as I’ve told you.”

“Well mine’s fairly set. So if you need to talk, we’ll figure something out.”

Aiba called for the check, telling Jun to put his wallet away. When they were alone again, Aiba sat back in his chair, letting out a breath, as though he was trying to say something important. Jun listened, curious.

“I don’t have friends anymore,” Aiba said quietly. “I mean, Kazama-kun, he’s the guy who runs Disco Star? He’s totally busy with opening new locations. I see him once a month now, if that. My best friend. And then most everyone else, they either stay away, thinking I don’t care about them now that I’m famous or worse, they expect things from me. That I’ll hook them up with celebrities or get them invited to things. They’re people I thought I knew, and that stupid video ruined that. Some of them have even talked to the press, sharing pictures from when we were kids. All of this behind my back. It’s hard.”

“I’m really sorry.”

“So am I,” Aiba said, and Jun watched him blink away some tears. “But I guess that’s how things are, at least for now. I’ve forgiven most of them, I mean, not that I’ve said it to them, but how can you turn down a paid interview or money of any kind? It would be hard on anyone. So I understand why they’d do it.”

“You’re a good person, Aiba-san.” Jun meant it, too.

Aiba rolled his eyes. “I’m just a person. Period. Jun-kun, I know we’ve just met and I know I have you at a disadvantage, since you’re a fan and probably know whatever the press has said about me while I don’t know anything about you. But do you think maybe…we could be friends?”

Jun’s eyes widened.

“No?” Aiba said quickly. “I understand. It would be weird and…”

“It wouldn’t be weird,” Jun interrupted, feeling the tips of his ears go hot. “I just, I’m happy to meet you again. This breakfast, talking with you, it’s been really great. It’s just that, well, full disclosure, Aiba-san, but I don’t think I could just be your friend.”

“Because I’m a celebrity?”

Jun was nearly whispering, saying words he rarely said out loud. “Because I _like_ you.”

Aiba looked at him curiously. “That doesn’t bother me though. I know that you like me. You’re a fan, that’s what it means. Maybe I could become a Matsumoto Jun fan, once I get to know you better!”

Jun shuddered a bit, uncomfortable after so many minutes without having to confront his feelings. With just listening to Aiba Masaki talk. “I’m…I’m a person that’s…I like men, okay? I’m not just a fan, I’m a person who is attracted to you.”

“Oh,” Aiba said, and then silence descended on the table. 

Well, he’d screwed it up. Why didn’t he just say “sure, let’s be friends!” It would make the friendless Aiba happy, to know he had someone he could talk to. He needed someone, it was so obvious that he needed a confidante, a supporter who could be there for him without demanding anything. So why did he come face to face with Aiba Masaki, the world famous Disco Star, and start blabbing like he’d been injected with truth serum?

“Actually,” Aiba said a few moments later, breaking the quiet. “Um…”

Jun looked up, saw a strange look of understanding in Aiba’s face.

“Do you want to know why I always say there’s no Mrs. Disco Star?”


	2. Chapter 2

**non-no** : Have you watched it?

**A** : Disco Bake Shop? (laughs) I’ve seen…some of it.

**non-no** : Really?

**A** : You can’t help but be curious though. You kind of get the point after the first 30 seconds, but anyhow, they found a guy who looks pretty close! They colored his hair like mine, but he’s a bit…bulkier, I guess you could say? I liked the bellbottoms! (laughs)

The “Disco Star” character in the adult film wears blue bellbottoms rather than purple and never takes them all the way off. Instead, he has a zippered panel on the front of the bellbottoms that can be removed to expose himself, allowing him to have sex with his partner, who never removes his hat. (editor’s note: the Mr. Bake character played by Ohno-san often wears hats)

**non-no** : Has Ohno-san watched it?

**A** : I think he owns a few copies. He says they’re going to be Christmas presents. He’s a funny guy, Ohno-san.

**non-no** : Does it make you uncomfortable, knowing this is out there?

—

He couldn’t tell anyone. God, he couldn’t tell anyone!

Aiba Masaki, the star of the “Be Authentically You” music video, Japan’s newest superstar, Chiba’s biggest celebrity after Funassyi, the man whose hip thrusts had been seen around the world…

He was gay.

“I’ve slept with women before,” Aiba admitted, while they were both in his car driving back to Tokyo from the golf course. “I thought maybe I just hadn’t found the right one, but yeah…that definitely wasn’t it.”

Jun had read interviews before, with some of Aiba’s ex-girlfriends. Tabloid trash, but they’d only had nice things to say about him. It had never been a cover story, simply because there was nothing nasty to print.

“Does anyone know? Are there people out there who might say something?” Jun asked.

“No,” Aiba told him. “No. Because while I know who I am now, I haven’t quite acted on it. There’s no bitter ex out there waiting to rake in the money with a sex tape or anything. So nobody knows. Well, Kazama knows. My mom knows. I don’t think they count. And Shihori, my manager, I told her because I thought she ought to know. So basically, the only ones who know are the only people who won’t tell anybody.” Aiba had tapped his fingers on the steering wheel nervously. “And…well, now you know too.”

“I won’t say a word!” Jun promised.

“I know you won’t. I’m not going to make you sign some non-disclosure agreement. I’m not going to blackmail you or sue you.”

After that, an awkward silence had fallen in Aiba Masaki’s brand new Porsche. TV money really was good. All these months Jun hadn’t felt too bad about jerking off to a celebrity in purple bellbottoms because, statistically speaking, Disco Star was straight and probably got to sleep with models and actresses whenever he wanted. Jun’s adoration had been eternally one-sided, because it wasn’t like he’d ever meet and hang out with the guy either.

Except he was in Aiba’s car, they’d just had breakfast and two hours at the golf course driving range (so Jun could actually swing a club now), and he knew that Aiba was gay.

What the hell did he do now?

By the time Aiba was pulling his car onto a side street a few blocks from Jun’s apartment building, he felt silly. Just because he was gay and Aiba was gay didn’t mean anything. Aiba probably had a type, and boring salaryman with thick eyebrows and a short temper wasn’t it. There’d been too many strokes of good luck already, between using Nino’s connection with Sho-san to meet Aiba and their day at the golf course. The entire day that had just happened, the day they’d spent together, had only happened because Sho-san was on assignment and Jun had lied to his boss about a dentist appointment. It was foolish to think that…

“So do you want to go out sometime?” Aiba asked, speaking for the first time in half an hour and putting his car in park.

Jun turned, knowing his jaw had dropped like some cheesy actor in a TV drama. “Huh?”

“Well it’s not like I can use a dating app,” Aiba teased. “I get why you’d be uncomfortable being my friend, but I do want to see you again. I already said I wanted to get to know you. All I’ve done today is complain, and you put up with me. Please, Jun-kun, let me take you out. You already said that you like me, so let’s see what happens.”

“On…on a date?”

“Well, obviously.”

“You and me?”

“Yes.”

“You and me on a date?”

Aiba was laughing at him now. “Yes! Has nobody ever asked you out before?”

Jun couldn’t meet his eyes. “Nobody _famous_ has ever asked me out before.”

Aiba moved closer, resting his hand on the back of Jun’s seat. “Then let me be the first. You know, you’re really cute when you’re embarrassed. But you don’t have to be embarrassed around me, okay?”

Jun nodded. “I can’t make any promises. But I will try to control myself.”

“We’ll have fun, okay? No pressure!”

Jun wondered if such a thing was possible.

—

**A** : Not really. Kazama’s lawyers wanted him to sue, but it’s only been good for business. Though I do expect that Morinaga-san (editor’s note: Morinaga manufactures Mr. Bake) will win their lawsuit.

**non-no** : So knowing there’s an AV of a person who looks like you out there, a gay AV, it really doesn’t bother you?

**A** : Honestly, no. Because it’s not actually me. It’s the character. It’s not Aiba Masaki. It’s Disco Star.

**non-no** : What does Mrs. Disco Star think about this?

**A** : (laughs) There isn’t a Mrs. Disco Star.

**non-no** : Not yet?

**A** : No, not yet.

**non-no** : Our readers are curious. Is Aiba Masaki on the market? Is Aiba Masaki single and looking for love?

**A** : Aiba Masaki is not. And that’s all I’ll say. (laughs)

Aiba-san, despite his fame, has been extremely protective of his personal life. Though his parents’ restaurant has seen growing business, not much else is known about Aiba-san behind the bellbottoms. He’d prefer to keep it that way.

**A** : Really, I’m just a guy in that costume. There’s nothing about me that’s too interesting, in the end. I’m just an average guy. 

—

It took three weeks before their schedules managed to match up again, but in the meantime, he and Aiba had started a lengthy email correspondence in lieu of being able to meet in person. Since he’d become famous, Aiba had endured hundreds of magazine interviews asking him the same things over and over. He forwarded on an email that was a list of “Twenty Facts You Didn’t Know About Disco Star Aiba Masaki!” from some women’s magazine, requesting that Jun fill out his own list and send it on so they could get to know each other better.

Jun had stalled around fact number seven, not sure he had anything really interesting to pass along, but Aiba’s openness, his kindness, made it difficult for him to not want to play along. He typed out his favorite bands, favorite foods, and pet peeves. They shared a few interests - baseball and surfing. Cooking, too, though both admitted that they preferred cooking for other people. “We should cook for each other sometime. Like, each make something the other likes!” Aiba’s enthusiasm helped ease Jun’s nervousness. Well, slightly. He wasn’t going to be eating all the brownies in existence in Aiba’s presence, at least.

He learned through emails with Aiba that he could be a little absent-minded. “Your email accidentally went to my spam filter again and I deleted, could you resend?” He learned that Aiba preferred spontaneity to rigid plans, which became all too apparent when their first official date suddenly turned into something different, a mere hour before Jun left the house. “Can Oh-chan come? Maybe the paparazzi will be less suspicious if there’s three of us.” When he asked why, hoping he hadn’t come across as rude, Aiba had apologetically noted that Ohno-san had an exhibition coming up in China and this would be their last chance in a while to meet up.

“You could bring a friend too,” Aiba had generously offered, not quite getting the point about why Jun was pissed off about it. He’d spent three long weeks waiting for this. Three long weeks of late work nights and Nino poking his nose around, trying to figure out why Jun was behaving differently, was spending all his breaks typing emails instead of sneaking yet another glimpse of the “Be Authentically You” video. Now all of a sudden his first real date in almost a year had turned into a going away party for the guy in the Mr. Bake adverts.

Jun found himself entering some fancy bar in Ginza on a Friday night, Aiba greeting him with a rather friendly hug before escorting him to a private room in the back where “Oh-chan” was already waiting. Ohno Satoshi, the famous Japanese artist who’d been in some failed boy band that had broken up when one of them had gotten caught with drugs. And of course he was Aiba’s “partner” in that silly porn. Ohno-san gave Jun a quick once over before nodding in greeting. Unlike his lookalike adult performer, in person Ohno Satoshi was smaller, a little older, dressed down for the occasion in a baseball cap, plaid button-down, and jeans with rips in the knees that Jun didn’t think were meant as a fashion statement. He was also red in the face, had probably been here drinking for a while.

“Yo.”

Another famous friend for Jun.

“I think Josei Seven-san was waiting outside. I think they know we’re both here,” Aiba explained as a waitress took Jun’s drink order. “Did you see any flashes when you came in?”

Jun shook his head. “No.”

“Good, good. We don’t need them prying into your life,” Aiba decided, sitting between the two of them. He made more formal introductions, although Jun was quick to notice that Aiba had only introduced him to Ohno as his friend. It seemed Ohno-san wasn’t aware of what was going on. Though Jun had wanted to spend the evening with Aiba, and only Aiba, Ohno wasn’t the worst companion. He spoke little and laughed a bit late when Aiba told jokes or related odd stories from his variety show sets, but just like his friend, he didn’t look down on Jun for being some non-famous worker bee nobody.

It took an hour before Ohno got curious. “So how did the two of you meet?”

Jun went silent. God, he had a DVD at home of this man’s lookalike getting fucked in the ass by an Aiba lookalike. It was getting increasingly difficult to look him in the face, even though his small pouty mouth and tired eyes didn’t really match up with his AV counterpart. Aiba took a sip from his beer, and Jun expected him to lie. After all, their date had suddenly become this non-date because Aiba had been so worried about the paparazzi following him.

“Jun’s my fan!” Aiba said almost proudly, clinking their glasses together. 

“A fan? Really?” Ohno asked, his face perking up a bit.

“Well, he was at first,” Aiba butted in before Jun could say anything. “It’s different now.”

Ohno didn’t seem bothered by the vague reply. “I had this fan, when I was younger. This was just after we debuted, and she broke into my parents’ house and stole some underwear. But she took my dad’s by mistake so that was kind of funny.”

Aiba and Jun stared at him.

“I’m sure it’s different for you though.”

Jun, sick of the fan talk, asked instead about Ohno’s art exhibition. Sadly, it turned into an Aiba and Ohno conversation about the unique problems they faced, the two of them bonding further as the waitress brought more beers around. As the minutes ticked away, Jun felt out of place, hearing the two famous people complain about added security, about being mobbed at the airport. 

Though it had been easy to talk to Aiba over email, getting to enjoy his attentions one on one, he felt like an outsider again. He felt like he was no better than the deluded woman who’d stolen Ohno’s dad’s underwear. He saw the ease with which Aiba and Ohno chatted. He felt, in those moments, that no matter how many emails he and Aiba exchanged, no matter how many hobbies or interests they shared, there’d always be this wall that would be impossible to scale. There’d always be that celebrity/fan divide.

His drinking wasn’t helping in the self-esteem department either. He’d been so nervous all day that he hadn’t eaten, and he was on beer number five (plus a tequila shot that Ohno had ordered for him). He felt miserable, and when Ohno excused himself to use the bathroom, Aiba finally noticed. He rested a hand on Jun’s thigh, a bit close given their current holding pattern of a date night. Maybe Aiba was aiming for damage control.

“Oh no, I’ve screwed this up, haven’t I?” Aiba asked, looking forlorn.

Until now, Jun had been accommodating. Jun had been humble and he’d been understanding. But one of the things he’d confessed in his own “Twenty Facts You Didn’t Know About Average Guy Matsumoto Jun” list was his childish tendency to pout when things didn’t go as he planned. And tonight was the epitome of things not going as he planned.

“Yes, you’ve screwed this up,” Jun said bluntly. When Aiba took his hand away, embarrassed, Jun only pressed on. “You’re the one who asked me out, but I’m the third wheel tonight.”

“You’re right,” Aiba admitted, his head hanging low. “I’m sorry. I thought since everything’s so new with us that you might feel more comfortable if it was a relaxed setting. If having another person around would make you feel less pressured around me. I can see now the opposite is true…”

“Aiba-san,” Jun said. “You don’t make a date with someone and then suddenly invite someone else to join you an hour before.”

“I know. God, I know, but I thought…”

“And it doesn’t help that the someone else you invited is the person from your adult video.”

Aiba smiled, despite himself. “Wait. Wait, just a minute.”

Jun shut his eyes. “I have a copy. Of Disco Bake Shop. So it’s a bit difficult, you know, to sit here with the two of you and keep a straight face.”

“Oh wow.”

“Yeah.”

“Oh wow wow wow.”

Jun opened one eye, just a sliver, to see a mischievous look on Aiba’s face. “What?”

“I thought you were cute when you were embarrassed, Jun-kun, but you’re even cuter when you’re _jealous_.”

He opened both eyes, blushing both from Aiba’s comment and from what he’d just freely admitted to him. “You don’t think it’s creepy I own that video? That I’ve watched that video?”

“I prefer the porn I watch to be more about the sex than about the costumes.” Aiba giggled. “It’s a funny one, though, I have to say. The actor playing me really committed to the choreography. But separate from that, Jun, separately from that I should apologize to you. I should apologize for inviting Oh-chan. I should apologize for making you sit here and listen to us whine when tonight should have been about me and you. Just me and you. I’m sorry. I tried to kill two birds with one stone on this. I tried to use time with Oh-chan as a way to keep the photographers from wondering who you are to me. I thought I was protecting you, and I was just pushing you away.”

It felt good, hearing Aiba admit that the night had not met Jun’s expectations. Coupled with Aiba’s non-reaction to Jun’s ownership of Disco Bake Shop, he felt that he could be bold. It had been a long three weeks. “If you’re that sorry, then you could make it up to me.”

Aiba had been drinking just as much that evening as Jun had, and the lazy, intrigued smile that crossed his face in that moment let Jun know that things might still be salvaged. “What did you have in mind?” Aiba asked. “Oh-chan sure is taking his time in the bathroom…”

“I don’t care if we have to take separate taxis or if we have to keep switching taxis, but come home with me. You said tonight was supposed to be just you and me. Then prove it.”

Aiba leaned forward, scooting along the cushion of the booth in their private room. Ohno might come back at any moment, but Aiba didn’t seem to mind as he slipped his arm around Jun’s shoulder. He was warm, just as warm as he’d been under the NTV studio lights. He smelled like the beers they’d been downing, and somewhere under that, a warm, musky cologne. Aiba’s breath was hot against Jun’s ear.

“That sounds like fun.”

He just had to turn his head and they could kiss, but bold as Jun had been in the last few moments, he didn’t exactly want that to happen here, when Ohno or a waitress could walk in and see. Aiba was so careful about his image, and even more than that, he cared what people might think of Jun. And Jun wanted to respect that.

“When Ohno-san comes back, I’ll leave first. I’ll text you my address. My building doesn’t exactly have rigid security measures in place…”

“No. No, you’re right, your place is better,” Aiba said, and he bit down on his lip to keep from reacting when Aiba tickled his fingers down the inside of Jun’s arm. Aiba liked to touch, he had from the day they’d met, and Jun really liked that. He was real, so much more real than in that goofy video. “There’s almost always photographers around my building this time of night.”

He felt the faintest brush of Aiba’s lips against the shell of his ear, and then he was back in his own established space in the booth, the door to the private room opening. Ohno came back in, his face showing no hints of knowing what had just been negotiated. Feeling nervous from head to toe, Jun made some awkward apologies, slipping money for his drinks onto the table and saying goodbye to Ohno and Aiba. As he headed for the door, he thought that Aiba was trying to wink at him, but maybe he was just twitching. It looked more like an unconscious twitch anyhow.

Now he just had to get home. And make sure he didn’t have any of his Disco Star merchandise lying around the apartment.

—

**non-no** : Can you tell us about the future? Whether it’s the future for Disco Star Pachinko or for Aiba Masaki?

**A** : Sure! This fall I’ve been given the privilege to appear on a new chat program with Matsuko Deluxe-san. It’s a panel show, very focused on the personalities emerging online. Especially in our culture, we’re still very TV dominant, so it’s a way to merge the online world with the Japanese variety world. I’m very excited to take part. It will be airing on NTV come October.

**non-no** : Do you think Mr. Bake will be invited to participate?

**A** : I would love to work with him, but we’ll see. I’m sure Matsuko-san would get a kick out of it, having us both on the program. I bet the Disco Bake Shop jokes would never end. But basically it’s my job to introduce new talents and to follow up on those who have fallen off the radar and why.

**non-no** : Will you be wearing the Disco Star costume on the air?

**A** : Gosh, I hope not! Those bellbottoms are polyester, you know! That would get so hot under the lights!

**non-no** : Did you ever imagine that appearing in that video would land you a permanent place on television? 

**A** : No! Never!

—

Jun had never been opposed to the idea of taking someone home on a first date. He’d been on plenty of first non-dates in his life, quick hook-ups and one night stands. And with things that had turned into more permanent situations, into actual relationships, having sex right away hadn’t been a big deal. Jun went with his gut feeling when it came to getting physical. If there was a mutual attraction, why wait? If their chemistry was potent, why wait? He had to hide so much of himself, day in, day out, that when it came to sex he usually figured it was best to get a first fuck over with to determine if it was worth moving forward. Why get a month or two into a relationship and then be distressed over sexual incompatibility?

But with Aiba…with Aiba he wasn’t sure what felt right.

Because Jun knew that Aiba was still coming to terms with his sexuality and at the worst possible time, when he was under the most public scrutiny. Aiba wasn’t a virgin, but from their conversations so far and their lengthy email chains, Aiba had hinted that he had zero real life experience with men. He had confessed in one of their emails to having drunkenly kissed his friend, Kazama the pachinko guy, but that it hadn’t meant anything or gone anywhere since Kazama was straight.

So the last thing Jun wanted to do was rush him. But that was difficult to reconcile with each new text message that hit his phone. He’d been home for half an hour, had showered and sobered up, had done a bit of tidying and had even put fresh sheets on his bed (just in case, he told himself, just in case) and Aiba kept sending him messages.

_“Taking a cab to Shinjuku first. Somebody is tailing me.”_

_“I have a hat and sunglasses on and it’s 11 PM, maybe that’s why I’m easy to spot. I put them in a trash can!!!!”_

_“In another cab. Can’t wait to see you!”_

_“What r u wearing?????? I hope it’s NOTHING!!!!”_

_“Made a quick stop. I swear I’m on my way!!!!”_

_“Stuck in traffic!! Should have kissed you at the bar!!!!!!!”_

Jun had nearly dropped his phone at the last one, grinning from ear to ear. Maybe he didn’t have to worry about Aiba’s comfort level after all. Maybe he’d actually get to experience those “Be Authentically You” hip thrusts earlier than anticipated.

It was 11:47 PM when his phone finally rang. “I’m outside!” Aiba half-whispered, half-giggled into his phone. “Yo, I’m outside, let me in! Hurry!”

He buzzed Aiba in, spending the next few seconds pacing his living room until there was a knock at the door. When he looked through the peephole, he thought he was dreaming. Had he ridden in a taxi looking like this?

“You should probably open the door,” Aiba said quietly. “I don’t need anyone to see me like this.”

So Jun hurriedly let Aiba inside, locking the door after him as Aiba slipped right into the pair of guest slippers Jun had left for him, dropping a backpack in the genkan. The slippers ended up looking rather strange on him because it appeared that at some point between leaving the bar in Ginza and arriving at Jun’s apartment, Aiba had changed into the outfit he’d worn in the “Be Authentically You” video. The real, honest to goodness Disco Star outfit.

On top was a long-sleeved, button-down monstrosity of color with pink fringe on the back and sleeves. On his bottom half, Aiba wore his now iconic purple bellbottoms, a studded white belt at his narrow waist. He greeted Jun by putting his hands behind his head, elbows out in a standard Disco Star pose.

“I keep this outfit at home, so I went and changed.”

Jun stared at him.

Aiba looked down at himself, poking at the sequined stripe that went down the side of his purple pants. “Since you said you had the porno movie and all, I thought you might like an opportunity to see the real thing.”

Jun bit his lip to keep from laughing, reaching out a hand to poke gently at the hideous fringe on Aiba’s sleeve. “You went all the way home for this before coming here?”

“It’s too much, huh?” Aiba laughed.

“It’s…” Jun covered his mouth, unable to keep from laughing. “You don’t do anything half-assed, do you, Aiba-san?”

Aiba struck another of his poses, lifting up the bottom of his shirt to reveal some rock hard abs. His AV counterpart definitely didn’t look this good. “What do you think?”

Jun laughed again, shaking his head. “You don’t want to know how many times I’ve imagined this. Like, in the fantasy sense, you know? You showing up here. I’ve watched the video so many…” He had a difficult time meeting Aiba’s eyes, his gaze drifting lower to his middle, to how tightly the purple bellbottoms clung to his thighs, to his ass. “…so, so, so many times.”

“I know! Thank you for your many YouTube views.”

“In person, it’s…” Jun trailed off, flicking at the fringe on Aiba’s left sleeve. “It’s…a lot to take in.”

Aiba finally rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t planning to wear it for much longer. I figured after how badly I screwed things up earlier, I wanted to see you smile.”

“Mission accomplished, I’d say.”

Aiba leaned close and Jun felt the tickle of fringe against his arm. “If this is heading where I think it is, I’m afraid that the pants have to come all the way off. The adult video industry has done some remarkable things with the costume, but since this is an original…”

“It breaks my heart,” Jun teased. “Truly.”

Aiba traced along Jun’s jaw with his finger, licking his lips in a way that sent a pleasurable shiver down Jun’s spine. “How long are we going to stand here, huh?”

He wanted to take it slow, to savor the opportunity that was standing in his apartment, the fulfillment of months and months of fantasizing. But that soon became impossible when he discovered how much Aiba Masaki liked to kiss. For someone who had no experience kissing men, Aiba didn’t seem hesitant or nervous. Maybe his silly costume gave him courage. Or maybe, Jun thought hopefully, Aiba liked him so much that he wanted this as badly as he did.

Aiba wasn’t shy about going after what he wanted, giving Jun a little push until his back thumped against the living room wall. While his fantasy in the flesh kissed along his jaw, nipping a little roughly, Jun showed his appreciation by teasing his fingers along Aiba’s belt and later slipping his hands behind him to squeeze his ass.

“I like kissing you,” Aiba admitted, teasing along the shell of Jun’s ear with his tongue before returning to Jun’s mouth, making gentle, appreciative noises of pleasure as Jun kept up his assault. He slid his hand under Aiba’s shirt, finding his skin as firm and hot as the rest of him. 

Before too long things grew more hasty, sloppier, Aiba struggling to find the heat of Jun’s mouth and settling instead for kisses at the corner of his mouth, on his chin, his cheeks. “Tell me what you want. Tell me what you want from me,” Aiba was saying, his voice low and raspy, the both of them letting out groans of anticipation when Jun pulled Aiba closer against him, feeling the hard length of him through those skin-tight pants.

“I want…” Jun muttered, turning his face aside, his heart pounding. He couldn’t help but be truthful. “I want to do everything with you.”

“Sounds fun.” Aiba sucked a bit teasingly on the side of Jun’s neck. “But time consuming.”

He found himself tugging on Aiba’s belt, unbuckling it and slipping it hastily through the purple loops. “You’ve never been with a guy, right? There’s so much to try…”

“That’s true,” Aiba admitted, his own fingers fumbling for the buttons of his shirt. Were they even going to make it out of the hall? “Let me ask you something then…”

“What?”

Aiba stopped Jun’s hands, squeezing them. It forced Jun to look up, meet his heavy-lidded, lustful eyes. “Jun-kun, I want to be with you. But who do you really want tonight? Disco Star or Aiba Masaki? I’m not…” He bit his lip when Jun unapologetically bucked his hips against him. “I’m not going to be disappointed with either answer, by the way. Either way I get you. But I want to do what will make you happiest.”

Jun tried to focus on breathing, though it was coming in heavy gulps. He dragged his thumb across Aiba’s swollen lips, smiling. “You’re the one who showed up at my door in costume.”

“Ahhh, you’re right.”

Jun had an idea, shutting him up for the moment with a long, slow kiss, his hand twisting back into the brown strands of Aiba’s hair. “What if I wanted both?” he said when he finally broke away from him again. “The fantasy _and_ reality?”

Aiba chuckled quietly, scrunching up his nose a bit. “Ambitious.”

Jun leaned forward, resting a hand on Aiba’s shoulder to whisper in his ear. Turned on as he was, he thought it was best he expressed his wishes quietly. “Not so ambitious,” he said, shutting his eyes as a rather impatient Disco Star retaliated with a few thrusts of his hips against Jun’s thigh. “It’s not so ambitious if you suck me off in the costume and then fuck me without it. Disco Star, then Aiba Masaki.”

“Ohhhh,” Aiba moaned gently, seeming to like Jun’s idea very much.

“Although if you’ve never sucked cock before and you’d rather see a demonstration first…”

They barely made it to Jun’s bedroom, Aiba taking him by the hand and dragging him along. “Demonstration,” Aiba was giggling. “Definitely need a demonstration.”

Aiba kicked off the guest slippers and to Jun’s dismay, got himself out of the purple bellbottoms, tossing them in a corner. He’d worn a pair of tight green trunks underneath, a line of white stars along the waistband. Jun stepped forward, cupping Aiba’s wonderfully hard cock through the thin material. “These have to go too.”

“Bossy!” Aiba teased him.

Jun tugged them down for him, then sat Aiba down at the edge of his bed. He knelt between Aiba’s spread legs, looking up into his eyes. “You look so funny with just the shirt on, you know.”

Aiba obediently lifted his hands behind his head, jutting out his elbows yet again. “I’m still an authentic Disco Star, you know.”

“Oh, I know,” Jun said. “Believe me.”

Believe me, Jun wanted to say, I’ve imagined doing this to you hundreds of times. 

But somehow reality managed to top fantasy as soon as he started to stroke his fingers along the inside of Aiba’s thighs, gently stroking his erection a few times. Aiba was already shuddering a little, his breathing shallow and a bit nervous, so Jun would have to take it easy. For a “demonstration”, Jun still took it quite seriously, showing Aiba just how badly he’d dreamed of this moment, humming quietly as he circled the head of Aiba’s cock with his tongue.

Aiba allowed the demonstration to continue for a few minutes, letting out sighs and gasps that made Jun desperate to multitask, to take his own cock in hand. But soon enough Aiba was resting a hand on the back of his neck. “I think…I think I can do it,” he shuddered. “I’ll do my best.”

Soon enough their positions were reversed and he was the one seated on the bed, his jeans and trunks forgotten in the corner of the room as Aiba’s Disco Star persona took charge. There was no hesitation, only the same confident smile from the music video, the sexy twinkle in his eyes. The pink fringe from Aiba’s sleeves tickled Jun’s thighs, making him jerk a little once Aiba was sliding his tongue experimentally up and down the length of him. It made Aiba laugh, spurring him on, encouraging him all the more.

Aiba reached out his hand, guiding Jun’s to the top of his head, encouraging him to take hold of him by the hair. “Isn’t that in the video? Isn’t it in the video at some point, Jun-kun?”

Yes, there was a point in Disco Bake Shop like this, although it was the Disco Star getting a blow job, his fingers tugging hard on Mr. Bake’s hair. But Jun appreciated Aiba’s commitment to fulfilling his dual wishes, for being willing to be both himself and the Disco Star. For someone who’d never sucked cock in his life, Aiba was a quick study. Rational thought was soon lost, one of Jun’s hands clutching his bedsheets while the other tightened in Aiba’s hair.

He tried to offer a warning, tried to gesture for the box of tissue he’d brought in and left on his nightstand, but he just heard Aiba’s throaty chuckle, heard him take a breath, and soon enough Jun’s cock had to be tickling the back of Aiba’s throat. The heat of Aiba’s mouth, the tease of Aiba’s fingers against his balls, the swift bob of Aiba’s head between his thighs and he couldn’t stop. He groaned, his head falling back, body quaking as Aiba kept right on sucking him through his euphoria.

He finally managed to look down, seeing Aiba’s arm wrap around his leg and his cheek rest against his knee. “Did I do okay?”

“You…you…” Jun smiled, patting him on the head. He was desperately searching for language, for the words he knew were in his head but he was having trouble finding them. “You’re…all good. Everything…good.”

Aiba made a funny face, his fingers stroking Jun’s calf absent-mindedly. “It’s not what I expected it to uh…taste like. No offense to you.”

“I tried to give you an out,” Jun managed to say, amused by Aiba’s honesty.

“Thank you. I did appreciate that. I just figured, well…” It seemed like the Disco Star had left the building, none of Aiba’s bravado remaining.

“We can stop. Or I can…if you want me to finish you off instead of…”

Aiba thumped his chin against his knee. “No way. No way, I’ve wanted this since you tried to hide that empty brownie plate. I want you, and it’s happening. It’s happening tonight! We’re totally going to fuck!”

Jun could only laugh, falling onto his back and barely able to keep it together. The brownies. The stupid fucking brownies at NTV. Aiba had been attracted to him even then? When Jun could barely speak? “I can’t believe any of this is real.”

Slowly, Aiba got to his feet, unbuttoning his bright shirt to show off his muscled body once again. “Oh, it’s real. And it’s going to be great. But first…” Aiba looked at him with an embarrassed grin. “You got any mouthwash?”

Jun was soon laughing his way through several minty fresh kisses, wondering how on earth he could have been sitting in that bar hours earlier feeling sorry for himself, feeling like he and Aiba were simply not going to work. That things were simply not going to happen. Because things were happening, and from Aiba’s smiles, from his honesty, from the looks Aiba had been giving him since he’d arrived in that crazy costume, Jun had a feeling tonight wasn’t going to be an isolated incident.

He was grateful he’d put down clean sheets and put a box of condoms in his drawer, and he was also grateful for another incident of Aiba honesty, when he came clean and admitted to Jun that one of his ex-girlfriends had really, really, really loved anal sex. “This part,” Aiba told him, holding the bottle of lube Jun had provided in his hand like a microphone. “This part I’m really good at.”

He wasn’t lying either, and a short while later Jun was begging for more, for more and more, eyes shut tight and body needy as Aiba drove into him again and again. “Should I sing?” Aiba was nearly growling in his ear, each careful, slow thrust leaving Jun seeing stars. “Should I sing the song while I fuck you, Jun?”

“God, no,” he protested. “Don’t you dare.”

Aiba’s breathy laugh tickled his ear, and he thankfully turned his attentions more fully to the task at hand. Jun gave up on being shy, though, since Aiba had done so much all for his sake. He wanted him, no, he _needed_ him to know just how it felt to have all his fantasies suddenly come true.

“Fuck me,” he demanded. Aiba nearly slipped out of him, pressing a sloppy kiss to Jun’s cheek. Jun just bit back a groan of his own, clinging to Aiba’s shoulders. “Fuck me, Masaki. Fuck me, you’re so good, fuck me.”

“No fair,” Aiba was gasping, his movements becoming more erratic. He had to know that Jun wanted him in that moment, that he wanted Aiba Masaki, the person, not the flashy celebrity. He had to know how badly Jun wanted him. “Oh wow, no fair. Ohhhh damn it!”

He laughed, and Aiba did too, letting out a sigh of oddly pleased frustration as his movements slowed and he pressed a kiss to the corner of Jun’s mouth.

“You sound so hot when you beg, you jerk,” Aiba mumbled against Jun’s neck, sighing. “I’m sorry. I’ll be better next time. Be patient with me.”

Jun stroked his fingers through Aiba’s hair, remembering that he’d brought a backpack with him for the night. Maybe next time wouldn’t be so far off.

—

**non-no** : You’ve been making guest appearances for months now, even though there’s just the one video of you out there. And now you’ll be a regular fixture on a program. Do you wonder when the Disco Star phenomenon will fade away?

**A** : I’m just enjoying the ride while it lasts. I’ve been very lucky, very fortunate, but if the world gets tired of me, I’ll be happy to see myself out. After all, my mom says I’m always welcome back at the restaurant. It’s good to have a backup plan.

Flash in the pan or a talento with lasting power, the future remains uncertain for almost any celebrity these days. Psy’s Gangnam Style shook the world, but now that same world has moved on. With a good head on his shoulders and the admiration of millions, we expect Aiba Masaki to go far. But how far is really up to us.

—

Nino was leaning heavily against his shoulder, noisily munching on some corn snacks he’d stolen from a vacationing colleague’s stash in the break room. “Is this show really just them watching YouTube clips for an hour every week?”

Jun had his phone on the break room table, was watching streaming video of the latest episode of Web Wonders! The Online Stars Who Will Change the World. “Nah, Disco Star goes on location to talk with some of the current online stars.”

“Huh,” Nino said in reply, falling silent as the two of them listened to Matsuko Deluxe complain noisily in the studio about some video they’d just watched starring a cute Shiba Inu who could ride a skateboard.

Eventually Nino broke his silence.

“You still like him, Disco Star-sama?”

“Sure.”

“They say he’s got a new girlfriend. I saw it on a message board.”

“Good for him,” Jun said, as Matsuko continued to bitch about the skateboarding dog.

Nino poked him in the shoulder with his finger. “You met him, but you must have missed your chance. Guess he likes girls, huh?”

“If you say so,” Jun replied, not rising to Nino’s bait. “He was nice, though.” Jun’s phone eventually pinged with a new email. “Will you excuse me?”

He left the break room, finally allowing himself a smile when he saw the email that had just come through from “DS AM,” a new email account Aiba had set up so they could trade messages more privately.

_“Can’t wait to see you!! Five hours and counting!!!”_

He typed quickly, his face warm and his heart full. _“Bellbottoms tonight?”_

The reply was almost instantaneous. _“You got it! Whatever makes you happy.”_

For the longest time, Jun had hidden his true self. And in most situations, he still had to. But at least now there was one person who understood.

For the longest time, Jun believed that Disco Star wouldn’t let him down. Jun believed that Disco Star didn’t care that he worked in a boring, thankless office job. Jun believed that Disco Star was loud and proud and brighter than a float at a Pride parade.

All those things were true. But he’d found something better. He’d found Aiba Masaki, who didn’t let him down, didn’t care about his lack of fame, and had a smile that was brighter and kinder than any other ones he’d seen. Jun could be impatient, demanding, obsessive, but Aiba forgave him all of that.

For the longest time, Jun had hidden his true self. But around Aiba Masaki, at least, he didn’t have to hide. He could be authentically himself.

Even if that authentic self still had a weird fetish for his boyfriend’s tight purple bellbottoms.


End file.
